Basic Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

Many people think the main symptom of high blood pressure is feeling stressed or anxious, and while those 2-things are not mutually exclusive, they’re not usually signs of chronic hypertension. In fact, often people with high blood pressure won’t notice any changes until there’s serious damage, giving high blood pressure “the silent killer” nickname.

However, there are a number of other signs of unusually high blood pressure you may notice that can be cause for alarm. Left untreated, hypertension (another name for high blood pressure) can lead to serious medical problems including strokes, heart disease, and kidney failure, warns WebMD. Here are six possible symptoms of hypertension…

1. Headaches

There is a wide range of reasons why you’d develop a headache, and one of them could be high blood pressure. However, research into the correlation between headaches and hypertension is ongoing, notes Healthline.com. “The verdict is out on whether or not high blood pressure can be proven to cause headaches,” it notes.

The source notes some studies have found a connection, while others have not. However, it explains that a “hypertentive crisis” can cause pressure in the head from a sudden spike in blood pressure. “The resulting headache feels unlike any other kind of migraine or head pain,” it adds.

2. Nosebleeds

if you’re suffering a nosebleed seemingly without a reason, then high blood pressure may be the culprit. It says hypertension and hypertensive crisis (mentioned earlier) can cause your nose to flow red.

However, this probably isn’t the reason for your nosebleed. Other reasons include dryness, blood-thinning medications, chronic alcohol consumption, or another underlying health condition that makes it difficult for your blood to clot properly, adds the source.

3. Shortness of Breath

This can occur in a particular type of hypertension known as “pulmonary hypertension,” notes the Cleveland Clinic. This is considered a rare lung disorder that narrows the arteries carrying blood from the heart to the lungs, causing unusually high pressure in the arteries.

Due to the increased pressure, the right ventricle of the heart becomes strained and expands in size, adds the source. The symptoms, including having trouble breathing even while at rest, don’t usually appear until the problem has progressed – much like standard hypertension.

4. Decreased Pain Response

The explains that the “associations between pain and blood pressure are potentially of great interest but poorly understood.” It says that experiencing pain itself can trigger high blood pressure, but conversely, hypertension can diminish sensitivity to pain (a condition called hypalgesia).

The source says consistent findings shows those with hypertension do not experience pain the way people with normal blood pressure do. Strangely enough, this can have “a pain-relieving and possibly stress-relieving effect due to increased endorphin release,” it adds. (This may lead the patient to believing they’re in good health, when it fact they have dangerously high levels of blood pressure).

5. Vision Problems

High blood pressure can lead to damage to the vessels that feed your retina, a disease called “hypertensive retinopathy.” This condition is usually not noticed by the patient, but rather during routine eye exams, it adds.

The retina is essential to vision, as it’s the point where images are focused. Symptoms of this disease include bleeding in the back of the eye that a medical professional can detect using a special instrument called an ophthalmoscope.

6. Irregular Heartbeat

Extremely, high blood pressure can expect problems like an irregular heartbeat – including palpitations that can cause your heart to skip a beat or flutter. However, as the source points out, palpitations can also occur from stress, excessive caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol.

However, irregular heartbeats can be serious, and can cause chest pain and even fainting, notes the source. Your doctor may want to investigate the underlying cause of your abnormal heartbeat, so the right treatment can be applied. If there’s no apparent cause, changes in lifestyle can make an improvement.